Lithuania's Vilnius airport temporarily closed on Thursday due to weather balloons flying in its vicinity, the airport said in a post on Facebook, the sixth such incident this month, APA reports citing Reuters.
Lithuania has said the balloons are sent by smugglers transporting contraband cigarettes, but it also blames Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, for not stopping the practice.
"According to preliminary information, the decision to restrict the airspace was made due to a balloon (or balloons) flying in the direction of Vilnius Airport," the airport said on Thursday.
Traffic at the capital airport was suspended until 2110 GMT, it added.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
